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Well hello, fellow music lover!

Welcome to the Harvey/Grey blog!
Caitlin here today and this is the first of many posts (I hope) on our brand new blog site! 

Let me introduce myself.
My name is Caitlin Grey & I'm a singer, songwriter, lyricist and producer from the UK. I live on my narrowboat Sapphire and I love tea, films of all kinds and a cheeky rioja. I work with my long-time writing partner Neil Harvey. Neil, who started out as a rock guitarist (& still whacks out a pretty mean solo) is an exceptionally gifted composer, songwriter and producer.
He also happens to be one of the nicest guys in the business. Well, I'm biased, as he is also my best mate.

This brand new Blog site is going to be where we share everything we have learned over the last twenty-five years of navigating the choppy waters of the music & film industries. Hopefully, we can pass on some of our hard-won knowledge to you, so that you can cut a few corners on your way to success.
So, firstly, a bit about us and our history. Neil & I have known each other since school and have worked together off and on for a long time....a long, long, long time. (Six days, Seven Nights, anyone?!) We have travelled the world in cabaret bands and experienced various other musical adventures both together and as separate artists, in other bands and as solo performers, session musicians, acting, directing, producing etc, usually playing music written by other people. And it was a fab life! But, since our late teens, we have always written our own material, hoping one day to be able to make a living from writing songs, not just for ourselves but for other artists too. 
But Holy moly, it's been very hit and miss, I can tell you.  Signed publishing deals, then dropped from labels without warning... you name it, we've been there! We've had our ups and downs, times when things have looked pretty bleak and we thought we'd blown our chances, missed opportunities, just been too bloomin' scared to go for it. And then the dawning realisation that we were perhaps...well....just too old. Let's face it, a lead singer with no teeth and chin stubble isn't a great look...and I'm not talking about the chap from The Pogues! 

But then, something fabulous happened....the internet!! THE INTERNET ARRIVED...….
Yes folks....the internet has allowed us to have a second chance at this weird and wonderful world of music & film that we inhabit. And I will talk more about this at a later date because it deserves its own post. But, I digress....

Since 2010, Neil and I have been working full time at our own music, trying to find our place in the heady world of the entertainment industry. We were always serious about the music, it's just that we were unable to fully commit due to other pressures and workload. But we've had a few years now where we have really been able to make some progress in terms of our output, which has helped enormously. We've really gained traction in the music licensing arena and, also, in writing for other artists and clients, as well as releasing our own albums. In future posts, I will, of course, go into detail about how we were able to achieve this enviable status quo so you're not just asking yourselves...well, yes, jolly good show etc, but how did you manage it? 
All this is useful stuff to anyone who is just starting out, particularly if you are an older artist who feels like it's too late for you. It's not!! 
I (& Neil) plan to give you as much detail as possible, so that you can plot your own way forward if you wish to and learn, not just from our successes, but from our mistakes too. 
So, blog post-wise, sometimes it will be a post from yours truly where I will try to focus on the business itself. And maybe some singing/songwriting/performance tips too. Neil will likely be covering all aspects of home production and producing broadcast quality music. But we would love to hear from you to let us know what you'd like us to tackle here at Harvey/Grey Music Blog HQ. 
So without further ado, I'll bid you farewell from my debut post here, as a cup of tea (& perhaps a chocolate hobnob) awaits me!
 See you back here very soon.
Cheerio for now & have a lovely day.
Caitlin

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